WTF: Hairbrush Highlights Are the New Balayage

The hair game is really heating up with lots of new hair color, cuts and product options that run the gamut from creams to gels to styling powders. The newest method to add to your hair knowledge lexicon? “Hairbrush highlights.”

But what exactly are they?

Hairbrush highlights are a new way to get soft, natural looking highlights for a gentle ombre effect. Similar to innovations like balayage (which involves painting hair strand by strand) and layage (which involves painting hair splayed on a flat surface with dye), color is applied with a hairbrush — round or paddle — instead of using a tint brush and foils. Basically, think Ariana Grande’s super chill look from last summer, and you get the idea.